Missing hat search goes viral

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRQE) - A New Mexico woman is hoping for a miracle after losing something irreplaceable at a very busy airport while traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday. Her odds of finding it are slim, but she's getting a lot of help from complete strangers.

Bridget Hughes, 23, who lives in Las Cruces, lost a floppy knit cap at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Monday. The hat belonged to her mother, who died of breast cancer when Bridget was 7-years-old.

"My mom wore it during her chemo treatments," said Bridget. "(Having the hat) is like sharing my life with her."

Bridget's aunt gave her the hat last year when she moved to New Mexico from her small hometown in Pennsylvania. Bridget relocated to Las Cruces to volunteer teaching homeless kids with a church ministry. The hat hasn't been far from her reach.

"I even wore it to a friend's wedding back in May," said Bridget.

But on Monday, Bridget was about to board a red-eye flight from Phoenix to El Paso, when the flight was canceled.

"I took a nap because I had to work the next day, so I used the hat to cover my eyes, so I could get some sleep," said Bridget. "Just with the chaos of everyone trying to get their hotel vouchers and stuff, I think I left it somewhere in the airport."

A devastated Bridget went back to the airport the next day to find it but no luck. So as a last resort, she took to Facebook . In just 48 hours, Bridget's story went viral. As of Thursday evening, about 100,000 people shared her photo. Complete strangers from around the country are leaving her words of encouragement.

Even Phoenix airport officials are scouring the terminals for the missing hat, calling Bridget every few hours with updates.

"We have a very active lost and found staff, and it's personal to them," said Phoenix Sky Harbor Spokeswoman Deb Ostreicher."

The Phoenix Airport has been bombarded with calls from people telling them they need to look Bridget's missing hat. Officials said fielding those calls is taking time away from actually looking for the hat.

Even though she's lost her mom's hat, Bridget said she's finding her mom in the strangest of situations.

"This experience is something my mother would have loved," said Bridget.

Bridget hopes to move to Albuquerque and attend graduate school at UNM.